


Enough Wasted Time

by Oakwyrm



Series: My City Now [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Pillow Fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22885798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oakwyrm/pseuds/Oakwyrm
Summary: Ginny breaks up with Dean. Seamus decides he has wasted enough time.
Relationships: Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas
Series: My City Now [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1644718
Comments: 6
Kudos: 141





	Enough Wasted Time

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not tagging Harry/Ginny because  
> A) They're only very briefly mentioned  
>  ~~B) They're not endgame for this AU so it'd feel kinda like false advertising~~  
>  EDIT: As of literally the day after posting this I have, in fact, changed my mind, they are (partially) endgame and I will say no more because of spoilers.
> 
> This is... largely unconnected with the rest of this AU but it's here now anyway because I want it to be.

It was the 22nd of April when Dean came storming into the sixth year boy’s dorm room and made a beeline for his bed, shutting the curtains around him with a flick of his wand. Seamus, the only other person in the room at the time, looked up from the reading he’d been trying to get through, a frown on his face.

Hesitantly he got up, setting his book aside, and walked to Dean’s bed. He knocked on one of the posters and received a grunt on acknowledgement from within.

“You alright in there?” he asked.

“No,” came the muffled reply, spoken into a pillow if Seamus had to guess.

“Did Ginny finally come to her senses?”

The answering silence answered his question for him.

“Shit, Dean, I’m sorry. I shouldn’a said that.”

“You sound like Hagrid.” There was a laugh in Dean’s voice. Seamus’ heart rose just hearing it.

“So will you open this curtain or am I permanently exiled?”

“Oh my God get in here you nitwit.” Dean’s arm reached outside of his curtains and caught hold of Seamus’ robes, tugging him in. He was laughing properly now, his eyes crinkling in that way they only ever did when he was truly happy.

“I’m plenty smart I’ll have you know,” Seamus said once he’d comfortably situated himself next to Dean, their backs against the headboard. Dean snorted.

“Right, I’ve seen your grades. Being insatiably curious is not the same as being smart.”

“Oi!”

More of Dean’s teasing was swallowed up by a pillow to the face. He blinked, staring at Seamus for a beat before he grabbed his second pillow to block another incoming swing.

“Alright, you asked for it.” Dean threw himself into the fight. They wrestled, each trying to get in as many hits with the pillow as he could on the other. Dean cried foul when Seamus tried to use his ticklishness against him, but he needn’t have because when Seamus next tried it Dean’s elbow jerked involuntarily and drove itself into his stomach, leaving him momentarily breathless.

“Told you!” Dean said as he smacked Seamus over the head with his pillow.

The fight ended in a draw, with Dean collapsed half on top of Seamus and both of them breathing heavily, grins on their faces as they tried to quiet their laughter. Dean leaned his chin on Seamus’ chest, a gentle melancholy falling over his expression.

“I feel so stupid,” he said quietly. “I knew it was going to end, one way or another.” He pushed himself up and crawled back to sit against the headboard. Seamus followed him, moving slowly and cautiously.

“Then… it’s good that it’s over, isn’t it?” he asked. “You don’t have to sit around waiting for some doom to fall.”

Dean shrugged. “I suppose. Doesn’t make it hurt any less right now, though does it?”

“I guess not.” Seamus shrugged. Dean paused and gave him a curious, considering look.

“How come I’ve never seen you out with anyone?” he asked. “And don’t give me some rubbish about a girl back home.”

Seamus felt his face flush an unpleasant tingle of fear coming to rest solidly in his chest. He cleared his throat and looked away. “Dunno. Just haven’t found the right girl, I suppose.” The lie tasted foul on his tongue, but the fear of telling the truth forced it out regardless.

“Well, when you do make sure to run her by me,” Dean said, a playful smile tugging at his lips. “Can’t have my best mate settling for anything less than perfect, right?”

“Right.” Seamus pulled his legs to his chest and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his heart.

* * *

It was mad. Absolutely insane. Certifiable even. Seamus had a list a mile long for why he should not be planning what he was planning, and yet Sunday evening after the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match found him restlessly pacing in the astronomy tower.

It had barely even been a month since Ginny dumped him, some small sliver of rational thought tried to argue. Even if this was anywhere within the realm of a good idea, shouldn’t he wait? Wasn’t it in poor taste or something, to go after someone right after they’d gotten out of a relationship? Dean certainly seemed to think so, given his reaction to Ginny finally acting on her long-time crush on Harry.

The far louder, more insistent part of him screamed that he had waited long enough. He had wasted enough time. Dean was his best friend, even if nothing came from this surely… surely. He defended Professor Lupin given even the slightest chance, surely Seamus himself would not fare so differently?

Seamus’ nails were bitten down as far as they could go. His mother would have been beside herself at the state of them. He didn’t care. He continued to pace.

“Seamus?” Dean’s voice froze him in place as the door opened.

He turned on the spot. His nerves felt like he was trying the wrestle an unwilling cat- no, and unwilling _kneazle_ into a carrier.

“You said, if I ever found someone, I should run them by you first,” he said.

Dean nodded, and Seamus tried not to read too much into the brief flicker of something in his eyes. It was gone too soon for him to identify, anyhow, and Dean was smiling his unfairly beautiful smile.

“I did, yeah. So go on. Tell me about her.” Dean sat down next to him and Seamus fair scrambled to follow suit.

“Well. A Gryffindor, for starters.”

Dean nodded. “Decent start, but go on.”

“Not top of the class, but still smart. Kind, and understanding. I don’t think they have a single vengeful bone in their body. Gets along with almost anyone. They have the prettiest laugh you’ll ever hear. They draw _really_ well and they have these dark, _dark_ brown eyes. The kind of eyes you could get lost in.”

“Sounds like you’re really gone on this person,” Dean said gently. Seamus glanced at him and found something like understanding in his eyes.

“Yeah. I have been for a while,” he said quietly.

“So why haven’t you said anything?”

“At first I was scared. Scared of what my feelings were, and what they meant. Then he was dating someone else.” Seamus noticed the pronoun slip a moment too late and froze, his eyes fixated on the floor in front of him.

“Seamus?” One of Dean’s hands settled gently on his. “You’re… are you talking about me?”

Seamus nodded, eyes still glued to the floor.

“God, I’m an idiot.” Dean shuffled over until he was sitting in front of Seamus. “I like you, too, Seamus. I have for a long time.”

Seamus’ eyes snapped up to Dean’s face. “I’m serious-”

“So am I!” Dean cut him off before he could protest any further. “It’s one of the reasons I agreed to date Ginny even though I knew she still liked on Harry. It’s part of the reason I’m not angry they got together so quickly. That, and I’m not a complete prat.”

Seamus snorted. “You’re the furthest thing from a prat.”

Dean smiled. “If it’s alright with you I’d like to kiss you now.”

Seamus didn’t answer. His hands rose to tug at Dean’s robe pulling him into a kiss. They over-balanced almost immediately, sending them toppling in a laughing heap to the floor.

“That was terrible, can I have a re-do?” Seamus asked the ceiling. Dean was still half-laughing as he pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Seamus’ mouth.

“You must be mad, that was perfect,” he said. Seamus ducked his face into his collar and shoved Dean’s shoulder.

“Shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> I am firmly team "let the muggleborns (or, you know, half-bloods who grew up in muggle families as is the case with Dean) continue to use the expressions they would have grown up with"


End file.
